FAKULTI PENDIDIKAN DAN BAHASA SEMESTER MEI 2013 OUMH2203 ENGLISH FOR WORKPLACE COMMUNICATION

NAMA NO. MATRIKULASI NO. KAD PENGENALAN NO. TELEFON E-MEL

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SITI LORENA BINTI EDMUND 720917125282001 720917125282 0198089621 sitilorenaedmund@yahoo.com

PUSAT PEMBELAJARAN

OUM TAWAU

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TABLE CONTENT MOBILE PHONES: THE RISK

INTRODUCTION 2

MOBILE PHONES AND HEALTH MOBILE PHONES AND DRIVING THE USAGE OF MOBILE PHONES IN HOSPITALS CONCLUSION MOBILE PHONES AND SOCIAL LIFE REFERENCE

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MOBILE PHONES: THE RISK Siti Lorena Bt Edmund Manager Institute of Occupational Safety and health Sabah 10 July 2013

INTRODUCTION The use of mobile phone has proliferated in recent years which some areas of the world have enjoyed rapid deployment and high penetration of mobile phone. There is statistics done in 2011 showed that 70% of the worlds population own at least one mobile phone. Based on the statistics, children in United States now are more likely to own a mobile phone than a book, with 85% of kids owning a phone as to only 73% owning books. Malaysia, without exception, is one of the countries riding the wave of telecommunication escalation where the mobile phone usage in Malaysia has gained the ever increasing momentum. It is reported that 85% of Malaysians own mobile phone. The widespread use of mobile phones is not a recent phenomenon anymore, their use has transformed over the past decade and to many they are now an essential part of business, commerce and society. The fact that so many people own mobile phones indicates their importance to the general public. However, although cell phones brought many benefits into our lives, they also have disadvantages. It is important to investigate, understand and monitor any potential public health impact of the extensive use of mobile phones. Some of these problems are the concerns relate to the emissions of radiofrequency (RF) radiation from the mobile phones and from the base stations that receive and transmit the radio waves and there can also be indirect effect where is using a mobile phone whilst driving can increase the risk of accidents. Even if mobile phones have a bit of

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disadvantages but still the advantages totally dominate them. So, I would say we should try to make use of its good assets rather then making it work against us.

MOBILE PHONES AND HEALTH There is particular concern about the possible effects on the brain and behaviour of repeated, acute exposure to RF fields, largely because mobile phones are conventionally held close to the head. There are reports in the media, for instance, have implied that the use of mobile phones can cause memory loss, changes in attention, and variation of blood pressure. Tissue heating is the principal mechanism of interaction between radiofrequency energy and the human body. At the frequencies used by mobile phones, most of the energy is absorbed by the skin and other superficial tissues, resulting in negligible temperature rise in the brain or any other organs of the body. A number of studies have investigated the effects of radiofrequency fields on brain electrical activity, cognitive function, sleep, heart rate and blood pressure in volunteers. To date, research does not suggest any consistent evidence of adverse health effects from exposure to radiofrequency fields at levels below those that cause tissue heating. Further, research has not been able to provide support for a causal relationship between exposure to electromagnetic fields and self-reported symptoms, or electromagnetic hypersensitivity. Epidemiological research examining potential long-term risks from radiofrequency exposure has mostly looked for an association between brain tumours and mobile phone use. However, because many cancers are not detectable until many years after the interactions that led to the tumour, and since mobile phones were not widely used until the early 1990s, epidemiological studies at present can only assess those cancers that become evident within shorter time periods. However, results of animal studies consistently show no increased cancer risk for long-term exposure to radiofrequency fields. We recommend that a substantial research programme should operate under the aegis of a demonstrably independent panel. The aim should be to develop a programme of research related to health aspects of mobile phones and associated technologies. This should complement work sponsored by the mobile phone 4

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companies and the public sector. It will be essential for further research in this area to be kept under review.

MOBILE PHONES AND DRIVING The advantages of using mobile phones while driving appear to be important. They include benefits to the users, households, social networks, businesses, and communities. Although mobile phones are functional in a variety of situations, they are a particularly useful technology to people on the move, including people operating motor vehicles. The majority of mobile phone owners report that they use the technology while driving. Indeed, a substantial percentage of the total calls initiated from mobile phones were by drivers of motor vehicles. Concerns have been raised that use of a mobile phone while driving increases the risk of traffic collisions, property damage, injuries, and fatalities. We need a helpful task from a variety of groups, including the wireless communications industry and transportation safety groups, to do the educational campaigns from time to time that encourage the prudent use of mobile phones while driving. These safety concerns must be the awareness that can lead policymakers to consider whether the use of a mobile phone while driving should be regulated or even prohibited. Such bans, at least with respect to use of handheld phones by drivers, have already been enacted in some foreign countries, prior to the widespread diffusion of the technology. Many states and our local government are now practicing restrictions or bans on use of a mobile phone while driving. The use of a hand-held mobile phone while driving may entail a variety of different maneuvers: searching for a phone in the vehicle, reaching for a phone to initiate or receive a call, dialing, holding a phone near the ear while talking and driving, picking up a phone that has been dropped, and so forth. Even use of a hands-free phone can be distracting to the driver as conversation consumes mental energy while driving. The various tasks entailed in using a cellular phone each require a different amount of time, mental energy, and coordination, leading to potentially different complications of the driving task and resulting risk of collision. Mobile phones could have a detrimental effect on public health not only through the direct effects of exposure to electromagnetic 5

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radiation, but also indirectly by interfering with the phone users ability to perform a concurrent task. These effects are considered to be sufficiently serious to warrant a major publicity campaign aimed at dissuading drivers from using a mobile phone, especially one that is hand-held, when in control of a vehicle. While it may seem obvious that using a hand-held mobile phone while driving will have negative consequences for road safety, it is perhaps less obvious that similar consequences may follow from the use of handsfree equipment.

THE USAGE OF MOBILE PHONES IN HOSPITALS We are concerned about the indiscriminate use of mobile phones in hospitals and other sites where the RF radiation could possibly interfere with sensitive equipment. We understand that health authorities/health boards issue guidance on the use of mobile phones. They should ensure that all hospitals comply. This guidance should include the placing of visible warning signs at entrances to buildings to indicate that mobile phones should be switched off. Mobile phones are intended to be electromagnetic emitters and as such their radiation characteristics (frequency, power, etc) are tightly regulated by standards set by some organizations. However, the distance between a mobile phone and an electrical system can vary considerably. A substantial research project recently concluded that future mobile phone systems would have less adverse Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) effects than present systems, and suggested some techniques for reducing the effects still further. EMC is of particular concern in hospitals because of the diversity of electronic equipment in use and safety-critical circumstances involved. The Medical Devices Agency issued a warning in 1994 and recommendations in 1997 and many hospitals have imposed restrictions of varying degrees on the use of mobile phones in hospitals. Similarly, the use of mobile phones in aircraft is not permitted for EMC reasons. Interference from a phone depends on three things which are the intensity of the signal, the frequency of the signal and the degree to which equipment is shielded. Whenever a phone is switched on it transmits a signal hoping to make contact with a base station in order to send and receive calls or texts and with smartphones, emails and other 6

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data. Once these electromagnetic waves are being transmitted, any length of wire in a piece of medical equipment can act as an antenna. In principle, even the wire linking a patient to a monitor could do it. Its the resulting electric current which could disrupt the equipment. In the newest kinds of devices the internal wires have been shortened in order to avoid this. Current phones cause even less interference and modern medical equipment is better-shielded, but the most recent guidance still warns against their use in critical or intensive card wards, stating that they could interfere with dialysis machines, defibrillators, ventilators and monitors. For the moment, this could be a wise precaution, because if a phone were held very close to a piece of equipment then it might affect it. For this reason, some have suggested that medical equipment should come readyprotected from such signals, or that hospitals install phone base stations to prevent the phones from having to transmit at stronger power in order to get a signal. This would, of course, cost hospitals money.

CONCLUSION As conclusion, consumers must get enough information regarding the usage of mobile phone. To this end, purchasers of mobile phones should have information to allow them to make informed choices about personal exposures resulting from their use. Based on current evidence, the main points to convey would be as follows. At present scientific evidence suggests that the RF radiation produced by mobile phones is highly unlikely to be a cause of direct adverse health effects on well-being. There is, however, still some uncertainty about this, and individuals may therefore wish to minimize their exposure to such radiation. This can be achieved in several ways including, for example, by making fewer and shorter calls. Exposure to RF radiation from a mobile phone can be reduced by increasing the distance of the phone from the body. This could be achieved by using an appropriately designed hands-free kit. Little or no advantage will be gained, however, if the phone is merely moved from the head to, say, the waist since in that case other organs may receive comparable exposure. The regulatory position on the use of hands-free kits and shields is unclear and the only information available to the public appears to be that 7

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supplied by their manufacturers. We recommend that the Government sets in place a national system which enables independent testing of shielding devices and hands-free kits to be carried out, and which enables clear information to be given about the effectiveness of such devices. A kite mark or equivalent should be introduced to demonstrate conformity with the testing standard. We conclude that there is one substantial established risk to health from mobile phone technology, namely through the increased incidence of motor vehicle accidents when drivers use mobile phones. Since the chance of an accident appears to be equally elevated for hands-free and hand-held use, this effect is almost certainly due to the distracting effect of the conversation, rather than to interference with steering the vehicle or to a direct influence of RF radiation on the brain. As we have a strong evidence that use of a mobile phone whilst driving significantly increases the risk of accidents, as suggestion the use of hand-held phones while driving should be banned, and our government considered this issue sufficiently important to warrant a publicity campaign aimed at dissuading drivers from using a mobile phone, especially one which is hand-held, when in control of a vehicle. We welcome this initiative, but note that, perhaps surprisingly, current evidence indicates that the negative effects of phone use while driving are broadly similar whether the phone is hand-held or hands-free. We conclude that the detrimental effects of hands-free operation are sufficiently large that drivers should be dissuaded from using either hand-held or hands-free phones whilst on the move. There is also a potential hazard from the indiscriminate use of mobile phones in hospitals and other sites where RF radiation could interfere with sensitive electronic equipment. We support the steps that are already being taken both by mobile phone manufacturers and hospitals to warn people about the dangers of using phones in such sites. We understand that health authorities/boards issue guidance on the use of mobile phones. We recommend that they should ensure that all hospitals comply. This guidance should include the placing of visible warning signs at entrances to buildings to indicate that mobile phones should be switched off.

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MOBILE PHONES AND SOCIAL LIFE Mobile phones have had the largest effect on life because they have become a new way of life. Mobile phones were originally intended for staying in touch with friends and family while away from a traditional landline. The idea behind it was that it would give a person freedom of range, allowing them basically to go anywhere and still stay connected. The first mobile phones were big and bulky and their only function was placing call. Yet throughout the years they have evolved into so much more. Modern day mobile phones are capable of going beyond just placing a phone call. They now possess features including: accessing the internet, sending and receiving photos, downloading music and other files, and playing games. Mobile phones are also known as lifesavers as they can help people in emergencies. Mobile phones provide its user with a feeling of safety. In case of an emergency, having a mobile phone allows help to reach someone within a reasonable amount of time. Mobile phones have also created new problems for social order. Although cell phones are a valued and powerful tool for communication and for the maintenance of social relationships, there are aspects of cell phones which are problematic, and many societies are discussing problems that have arisen due to the power and ubiquity of cell phones. The ability to not only transmit voice, but also to collect and record visual images has created ne w challenges for societies in terms of new conflicts between personal freedom of expression and rights to privacy. The ability to communicate despite separation in time and space provides new and exciting possibilities for communication with others. As we know, text messaging is preferred over voice in many countries. As a result new forms of abbreviated language are being invented and used. This made teachers worry about effects of text messaging on spelling. Some members of societies are troubled about the degeneration of language skills due to abbreviation and other new forms of messaging.The stereotype depicts a teenager at the dinner table, completely disinterested in family time, instead being completely occupied with text messaging and mobile instant messenger. This also happens to be a problem at school. Cell phones may dehumanize the dynamics of human contact. Some people may not know how to interact in real life anymore, preferring the 9

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safety and comfort of a well-timed SMS. In the end, people can weigh the advantages and the disadvantages of mobile phone and we know how to use the mobile phones in a responsible manner. We humans created mobile phones and it is all up to our control.

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REFERENCE Adair E R, Cobb B L, Mylacraine K S and Kelleher S A (1999). Human exposure at two radiofrequencies (450 and 2450 MHz): similarities and differences in physiological response. Bioelectromagnetics, 20, 12. Adey W R (1993). Biological effects of electromagnetic fields. J Cell Biochem, 5, 410. Castells, M., M. Fernandez-Ardevol, J.L. Qui and A. Sey (2007) Mobile Communication and Society. A Global Perspective. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Grundler W, Kaiser F, Keilmann F and Walleczek J (1992). Mechanisms of electromagnetic interaction with cellular systems. Naturwissenschaften, 79, 551. Humphreys, L. (2005). Cellphones in public: Social interaction in a wireless era. New Media & Society 7(6), 810-833 Violanti, J. M., & Marshall, J. R. (1996). Cellular phones and traffic accidents: an epidemiological approach. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 28 (2), 265-270. Yomiuri Shimbun (December 16, 1999). Ban on cell phone use by drivers having impact. The Daily Yomiuri. [online]. Available: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/ 1216so04.htm (June 22, 2000)

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